THAT HISTORIC GOAL!

15th February.....Ian Porterfield was born on this day in 1946 in Dunfermline and was scorer of arguably the single most important goal in Sunderland's history. He is probably best remembered as the scorer of the only goal in the 1973 FA Cup Final when Sunderland beat Leeds United 1-0. I remember seeing it ! Less well known perhaps, is the record he set as a manager !!  He was the first Premier League Manager to be sacked! 

Porterfield managed Chelsea in 1992/93, the first season of the Premier League, and on December 5th 1992 Chelsea beat Spurs 2-1 at White Hart Lane to occupy fourth place in the table. They were looking like surprise title contenders – but then things changed! 

They didn’t manage a win in their next 11 League outings, dropping to mid-table and on Monday 15th February – two days after Aston Villa had beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their 29th League outing of the season, Ian Porterfield received his marching orders and was replaced by a former Stamford Bridge favourite, David Webb. But he had set that record that will be his for ever – the first Premier League manager to be sacked!

Actually, christened John – presumably changing to Ian as it scanned better in songs!! – he grew up in Lochgelly, and played junior football for Cowdenbeath Royals, Mary Colliery Juveniles, Lochgelly Albert, and Lochore Welfare, having trials with Rangers and Hearts.

He joined Leeds as an apprentice but got homesick and played a game while on trial at Cowdenbeath before he signed for Raith Rovers in 1964. Three years, 115 games, and 17 goals later, Raith received their highest transfer fee when we paid them £38,000 plus another £5,000 after twenty appearances. His first season on Wearside, 1967-68, brought only nine further appearances after his December debut at home to the mags that we drew 3-3, only a couple of days after he arrived.

1968-’69 saw another 31 goals, as the club began to see what a "magic wand" he had for a left foot. Over the following three seasons, he established himself in the side and was an ever-present in the club's famous FA Cup run, managing a total of 50 games in all competitions. He was having his best scoring season for the club with six strikes. Of course, the last of those came just after half past three on May 5th, when he volleyed home with his “wrong” foot, to send Wearside into paroxysms of delight and Leeds up the Wembley steps for their runner-up medals.

There were obvious calls for a Scotland call-up, but that never happened, probably because the club was a second division outfit and there were a lot of top-class Scottish midfielders at that time.

In December 1974, Ian was instrumental in the club's 4-1 win over Portsmouth, as it chased promotion but the next day he was involved in a car crash and suffered serious head injuries. The club's form suffered without him, and despite his return to training much earlier than expected, we finished fourth – and there were no play-offs.

He was back with 24 games the following campaign, helping his club to the top spot and promotion, but it’s fair to say he was never quite the same player as before the accident and he hadn’t featured in the top flight before a loan spell at Reading in November 1976, and left the club in the summer of 1977 without having played another game.

His Sunderland record of 254 games, bringing 17 goals, will always be remembered for the 1973 Cup win, and he went on to play over a hundred times for Sheffield Wednesday under Jack Charlton, taking on some coaching duties towards the end of his stay, before becoming manager at Rotherham in 1979. Following the club becoming Division Three champions in 1981, Ian took over at Sheffield Utd, taking them out of Division Four at the first attempt, and later out of the Third. Next he had a spell at Reading and followed Alex Ferguson into the hot seat at Aberdeen before being in charge at Chelsea when we knocked them out of the FA Cup in ’92.

Porterfield was sacked in 1993, making him the first Premier League manager to get the boot, and that was his last manager’s job in British football, He moved into international management, firstly with Zambia in the wake of an air crash that had taken the lives of several of their top players, and got them to second place in the African Cup of Nations.

After that came Zimbabwe, before a brief return to the UK to assist his old mate Colin Todd at Bolton. Back abroad only a few months later, he managed Oman, and Trinidad and Tobago, whom he took to Caribbean Cup triumph in 2001, before a spell out of the game.

In 2003 he returned to club management at Kasame Atante Kotoko in Ghana, for a short while, then with Busan I’Park in South Korea for three years, where he won their FA Cup.

After his return to the international scene with Armenia in 2006, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and sadly passed away on September 11th 2007.

We don’t suppose there’s another player in Sunderland’s history who is remembered for one particular goal, and quite rightly so, as Ian played a massive part in making the Club's most famous day as memorable as it is.

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DUNCAN EDWARDS-A TRULY GREAT PLAYER

12th February 1955 Duncan Edwards of Manchester United and England was regarded as the superstar of his generation – but forget the wealth of the modern star player. After playing in a local derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford on 12th February 1955 (which City won 5-0) he was later caught by the police riding home on his bike without lights. He was fined five bob (25p) by the courts and two weeks wages by Manchester United for bringing the club's name into disrepute! Tragically he was killed at the dreadful Munich Air Disaster, described below:

Returning home with Manchester United from Belgrade following a European Cup match on 6 February 1958, the aeroplane carrying Edwards and his teammates crashed on takeoff after a refuelling stop in Munich Germany. Seven players and 14 other passengers died at the scene, and Edwards was taken to the Rechts der Isar Hospital suffering from many serious injuries including multiple leg fractures, fractured ribs and severely damaged kidneys. The doctors treating him were confident that he could recover, but were doubtful that he would ever be able to play football again. Edwards regained consciousness soon after reaching the hospital. Over the next two weeks, his condition fluctuated. Doctors had an artificial kidney rushed to the hospital for him, but the artificial organ reduced his blood's ability to clot and he began to bleed internally. Despite this, the day after the crash he asked assistant manager, Jimmy Murphy, "What time is the kick off against Wolves, Jimmy? I mustn't miss that match." 

By 14 February, his condition was reported to have "dramatically improved". By 19 February, his condition had deteriorated again, and it was reported that he was "sinking rapidly", with use of the artificial kidney machine developing into a "vicious circle, gradually sapping his strength".

Doctors had said several days earlier that they were "amazed" at his fight for life, and the next day a "very slight improvement" in his condition was reported. Nurses noticed that his circulation was failing, and injections briefly improved this, but his strength ebbed away and medical staff were unable to save him. He died at 2:15 a.m. on 21 February 1958. Hours before his death, by coincidence, a new issue of Charles Buchan's Football Monthly was published in the United Kingdom, with a photograph of a smiling Edwards on the cover.

Edwards was buried at Dudley Cemetery five days later, alongside his sister, Carol Anne. More than 5,000 people lined the streets of Dudley for his funeral. His tombstone reads: "A day of memory, Sad to recall, Without farewell, He left us all" and his grave is still regularly visited by fans.

Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1953–1958	Manchester United	151	(20)
International career
1949–1952	England Schoolboys	9	(0)
1954–1957	England U23	6	(5)
1953–1954	England B	4	(0)
1955–1957	England	18	(5)

Edwards has been commemorated in a number of ways in his home town of Dudley. A stained-glass window depicting Edwards, designed by Francis Skeat and paid for with donations from Football League clubs Brentford and Crystal Palace was unveiled in St Francis's Church, the parish church for the Priory Estate, by Matt Busby in 1961, and a statue of Edwards unveiled in the centre of the town in October 1999 by his mother and his former team-mate Bobby Charlton.

In 1993, a cul-de-sac of housing association homes near to the cemetery in which he is buried was named "Duncan Edwards Close". The Wren's Nest pub on the Priory Estate, near where he grew up, was renamed "The Duncan Edwards" in honour of him in 2001, but it closed within five years and was subsequently destroyed by arsonists before being demolished. In 2006, a £100,000 games facility was opened in Priory Park, where Edwards often played as a boy, in his memory. It was unveiled by Sir Bobby Charlton. In 2008, Dudley's southern bypass was renamed 'Duncan Edwards Way' in his memory—this road had coincidentally opened to traffic nearly a decade earlier on the same day that his statue was unveiled.

A housing complex called Duncan Edwards Court exists in Manchester among a network of streets named after his fellow Munich victims, including Eddie Colman, Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor. On 8 July 2011 a Blue Plaque was unveiled by Bobby Charlton at the site of the digs in Stretford where Edwards and other United players lived, and in 2016 local dignitaries in Dudley launched a fundraising drive with the aim of placing a similar plaque in the town. In 2022, a new leisure centre complex opened in Dudley and was named the Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre.

In 1996, Edwards was one of five deceased players chosen to appear on British stamps issued as part of a "Football Legends" set issued to commemorate the UEFA Euro tournament, which England was hosting. He was portrayed by Sam Caflin in the 2011 British TV film "United" centred on the Munich disaster and the success of the team in the two years leading up to it.

In recognition of his talents Edwards was made an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. His memorabilia were exhibited at Dudley Museum prior to its closure, and was subsequently sold to Manchester United with a selection to be loaned back for display at the Dudley Archives.

Terry Venables said that, had he lived, it would have been Edwards, not Bobby Moore, who lifted the World Cup trophy as England captain in 1966. Tommy Docheerty stated that "there is no doubt in my mind that Duncan would have become the greatest player ever. Not just in British football, with United and England, but the best in the world. George Best was some thing special, but in my mind Duncan was much better in terms of all-round ability and skill." 

CONMEBOL, COPA, COLO COLO, CAMPEONAS, CUP

Conmebol's, blue ribbon football club competition, The Copa Liberadores, has been in existence since 1960. It was launched as a response to the formation of the successful European Cup, in existence since 1955. South America can claim the first ever continental champions, thanks to a "one-off" 1948 tournament organised by Chile's Colo Colo.

Having won Chile's 1947 Championship, Colo Colo invited six other teams to compete for the Copa de Campeones in order to find the best club in South America. Colo were joined by the national champions of Uruguay and Argentina; Nacional and River Plate, the Peruvian runners-up Municipal and from countries with no national champions, Litoral of Bolivia, Emelec of Ecuador and Vasco da Gama. The tournament was a round robin league opened with a 2-2 draw between Colo Colo and Emelec.  It was decided when Vasco da Gama held River Plate in the last round of matches, to secure the title from the Argentinian side by one point. 

The victorious Vasco line up included Albino Friaca, who would go on to score Brazil's goal in their 2-1 defeat to Uruguay in the final match of the 1950 World Cup along with Barbosa, Brazil's goalkeeper and "scapegoat" for that infamous game. Whether having been crowned the World's first ever continental  made up in later years for the pain in their defeat in the "Fateful Final" is unknown, but highly unlikely.

While a success on the pitch, the Copa de Campeonas was a financial disaster and the idea was canned until UEFA proved such a tournament was workable. In 1960 Conmebol tried again when Penarol of Uruguay won the first title with a team built around Alberto Spencer, with 54 goals, which is still the all time leading Copa Liberatores scorer.

SERIE A TO GRIMSBY TOWN: FISHY MOVE?

10th February 1996 When a player moves from Italy's Serie A to join Grimsby Town - and pays half the transfer fee out of his own pocket - you can imagine he would become a fans' favourite. Sadly though the main memory of Ivano Bonetti in darkest Lincolnshire wasn't of him on the pitch but the infamous 'chicken wings' incident (see below). After a 3-2 defeat away to Luton Town on Saturday 10th February 1996 (just a month after they had beaten Luton 7-1 in an FA Cup tie) Grimsby manager Brian Laws confronted the former Juventus player about his lack of effort and the confrontation ended when Laws threw a plate of chicken wings at Bonetti, breaking his cheekbone. And that certainly made the "head" lines! When Bonetti signed for Grimsby Town in 1995, it brought massive national attention to the club, and he became an instant fans' favourite. The loyalty of the fans was tested when it was announced that £100,000 was needed to hire Bonetti from the American management company that held the rights to his "services and image"; this was raised by £50,000 from the fans and £50,000 from Bonetti himself, further increasing his appeal. Grimsby, under FIFA regulations, was not allowed to deal with the company and probably could not have afforded the money anyway.

The love affair was completed when he scored the winning goal against West Brom, then managed by former Grimsby boss Alan Buckley and featuring several former Grimsby players.

The "plate of chicken" incident  

On 10 February 1996, an incident after a 3–2 defeat away to Luton Town led to the departure of Bonetti from Blundell Park Just a month before, Grimsby had beaten them 7–1 in the FA Cup third round. Brian Laws, angry after the defeat, threw a plate of chicken wings at Bonetti, who he felt did not try hard enough, leaving him with a fractured cheekbone. At the end of the season, Bonetti left for Tranmere Rovers on a free transfer; Laws lasted until November of the next season. At Tranmere, Bonetti scored twice, including a late winner in a 4–3 win over Portmouth. At the start of the 1997–98 season, Bonetti turned up at Crystal Palace, making two substitute appearances in the Premiere League, shortly before returning to Italy to join Genoa.

Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1981–1984	Brescia	70	(3)
1984–1985	Genoa	31	(1)
1985–1987	Juventus	18	(2)
1987–1988	Atalanta	26	(2)
1988–1990	Bologna	62	(3)
1990–1993	Sampdoria	61	(0)
1993–1994	Bologna	18	(2)
1994	Torina	5	(0)
1995	Brescia	16	(0)
1995–1996	Grimsby Town	19	(3)
1996	Tranmere Rovers	13	(2)
1997	Crystal Palace	2	(0)
1997–1999	Genoa	55	(1)
1999–2000	Sestrese	19	(0)
2000–2002	Dumndee	18	(2)
Total		433	(20)
Managerial career
2000–2002	Dundee
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

10th February 2002, former Spurs favourites Paul Gascoigne and David Ginola (yes, it is them in photo) teamed up for a Tottenham Legends charity match against Inter Milan at the new Spurs ground, in March 2019 it proved a very popular photo opportunity. But the two did once play together in the Premier League - for about 20 minutes - in the colours of Everton on 10th February 2002 against Arsenal at Goodison Park. David Ginola made his debut for Everton in that match with Gazza coming on as a late sub. Ginola only ever made five League outings for Everton with the Arsenal match being the only one they played together in the Premier League. Arsenal won 1-0. 

ON THIS DAY; A TREVOR MILLION POUNDS

Trevor Francis became the first £1 million pound football transfer player on February 9th 1979. His move from Birmingham City to Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest was actually publicised at £999,999, so that "the lad wouldn't get too big headed"!... Old "Big Head" told the press.

With add-ons, the total fee was £1.15m beating the previous most expensive transfer in British football, David Mills from Middlesbrough to West Bromwich Albion. read this link about transfers.
It's a ling time since Alf Common cost £1,000 involving Middlesbrough back in the day.
http://www.myfootballfacts.com/BritishFootballPlayerTransferRecords1904-2009.html

Alf was born in Sunderland, played for them, went to Sheffield United for £325 and won an FA Cup medal with the Blades in 1902 after helping Sunderland AFC to a runners-up place in the First Division. After that he scored 58 goals in 168 apps for Middlesbrough, had a spell at Woolwich Arsenal and helped Preston to a Second Division promotion in 1913. With all his clubs he averaged 1 goal in 3 games. With 3 England caps and two goals, his career came to halt with the Great War but he lived on until 1946, running pubs in the north-east and that sort of thing!

David Mills, who cost £516,000, came from Whitby Town and had played for England Schoolboys as a forward. He joined Middlesbrough in 1968 and stayed there for 11 years, making nearly 300 appearances. He scored 76 goals before moving on to the Baggies under Ron Atkinson.

From there he moved to Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United, back to Middlesbrough in 1985 and finished off at Darlington and then home to Whitby Town. 

He died on the morning of July 24, 2023, at his apartment near Marbella, Spain. A family spokesman confirmed he suffered a heart attack. Legacy: As well as being the first player transferred for over £1 million (from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest in 1979), he won two European Cups under Brian Clough

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Career Highlights: He earned 52 caps for England, scoring 12 goals, and played in the 1982 World Cup. He also had a successful managerial career with QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City, and Crystal Palace. 

Trevor Francis, born in Plymouth, was more prominent as a footballer and manager spending time at Birmingham City (280 apps with 119 goals) so no wonder Brian wanted him. Francis had a spell at Detroit Express, Nottingham Forest (70 with 28 goals), Manchester City, Sampdoria, Atalanta (USA), Rangers, Wollongong City in Australia, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday, two clubs he managed, along with Birmingham City and Crystal Palace. The pioneering former England forward and Britain's first £1 million footballer, died on July 24, 2023, at the age of 69 following a heart attack at his home in Spain. He was a Nottingham Forest legend who scored the winning goal in the 1979 European Cup final. He lost his wife to cancer in 1974 and had two sons together

He suffered a heart attack in April 2012.

CAPELLO, REDKNAPP AND HARMISON

On the 8th February 2012......Two stories dominated the sporting news on this day in 2012. First of all Fabio Capello resigned as manager of England.

The FA had gone over the Italian’s head to deprive John Terry of the England captaincy following the controversial Anton Ferdinand incident and Capello, believing his authority had been undermined, resigned as a result. On the same day at Southwark Crown Court Harry Redknapp was cleared of tax evasion having been accused of accepting secret untaxed bonus payments while manager of Portsmouth. Inevitably the press connected the two stories believing that ‘Arry’s acquittal removed the only obstacle to him becoming the new England manager. Well, it didn’t quite happen like that – but should it have done?

and on the 8th February 2015
One of the more unusual managerial appointments (and there have been some unusual ones!) - came on 8th February 2015 when Steve Harmison was appointed boss of Ashington FC. Harmiston was a former Durham and England fast-bowler who had played 63 times for England and had taken 226 Test wickets. Ashington FC were in the Northern League and had a usual home attendance of around 200. Harmison explained that it was his hometown club, he played for them before he joined Durham and trained with them while a Durham cricketer. But his first footballing love was Newcastle United! He resigned from the job in October 2017. OVER!

Harmison currently lives in Ashington with his wife Hayley and their three daughters Emily, Abbie and Isabel and son, Charlie. A family man by nature, Harmison admitted to homesickness and missing his family each time the England team went on tour; in an interview with The Independent in 2005, he stated:

"I have a family. I have kids that need me around and they will dictate the decisions I make on my career....My international career will finish when my family needs me to be around a bit more." He still remains a huge fan of football and is a lifelong supporter of Newcastle United F.C. Harmison has suffered from clinical depression from an early age,  but hid it as home sickness during his England career.

FEBRUARY 7th in History

 

Year	Events
1935	Cliff Jones, former Wales national football team player (59 caps and 16 goals),                                born this day.
1959	67 years ago, the former Rep. of Ireland football player Mick McCarthy is born.                                  He appeared for 57 matches in total and scored 2 international goals for                                        Rep. of Ireland.  He was also a national team manager.
1965	Birthday of the Denmark football referee Nicolai Vollquartz, who was an official                                 at 16 international games of European association football teams.
1978	Birthday of Daniel Van Buyten, who played for Belgium national team in                                      period 2001-2014  (85 caps and 10 goals).
1988	Estadio Cartagonova was opened in Cartagena. The venue hosted 2 football                                        matches of European national teams.
1993	Birthday of Valon Berisha, who played for Kosovo and Norway national teams                                    in period  2012-2016 (71 caps and 4 goals).
1997	International footballer Nicolò Barella is born 29 years ago. He played 66 matches                            for Italy national team and scored 10 goals.